Review of Bacchanal Buffet

Let me point out something important that most people don't talk about: the wildly inconsistent allergen labelling that could end up killing someone. Restaurants have a duty to inform people about what's in their food so that they can avoid allergens. If you have a medical food restriction, especially if you would require an EpiPen, don't eat here.

Caesars has the money to bring in the best people to help them create a strategy to serve people with disabilities, like celiac disease (which is covered by the ADA) & food allergies. Despite this, Bacchanal has a lackadaisical approach to food safety for those with medical dietary restrictions.

GLUTEN IS NOT WHEAT Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, & triticale. A celiac cannot eat food with any gluten, including foods cooked in the same water or oil as foods that contain gluten.

A person with a wheat allergy can eat gluten from foods like barley or rye.

A person who can't eat gluten can never eat wheat, but a person with a wheat allergy can eat some sources of gluten.

HOW FOOD LABELS SHOULD WORK LINE 1: NAME OF FOOD LINE 2: DESCRIPTION OF DISH LINE 3: ALLERGENS (ex: gluten, soy, dairy) LINE 4: DIETARY (gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan)

HOW BACCHANAL'S LABELS ARE CURRENTLY WRITTEN: LINE 1: NAME OF FOOD SUBSEQUENT LINES: ANYTHING GOES.

The labelling is wildly inconsistent. See the included images.

For example: - Chocolate lava cake: no allergens or dietary information listed. - Creme Brulee: lists gluten-free but not dairy or eggs. - Watermelon salad has feta. Doesn't list dairy. - Iceberg wedge salad has blue cheese. Does list dairy. - Mezze Trio: no allergens listed despite containing wheat & gluten in both the pita bread & tabbouleh. - Duros: no allergens listed despite being made of wheat & gluten. - Churros with Caramel: only says "vegetarian." Does not mention the obvious dairy, gluten, or wheat in it.

LIP SERVICE If you have a food restriction, you're to tell the server, who then calls a chef to walk you through the buffet to explain what is safe to eat.

From the time I sat down to the time they found a chef to walk me through the foods & I could sit back down at my table, it was 40 minutes to take my first bite of food. There's a 90-minute table limit.

Having accurate & consistent labelling removes the need to have a chef stop cooking to walk me through the buffet.

Yesterday the chef said I could ask anyone cooking if I had a question about a particular dish, but I noticed when I asked if a dessert had gluten because it didn't say either way, the dessert staff member simply picked up the sign, read it, & said no. When I asked the person serving bone marrow, "Could I have one without a crostini because I have Celiac & can't eat gluten?" he didn't change his gloves when picking up the bone marrow.

CHANGES THAT COST $0 TO IMPLEMENT - Accurate, consistent labelling. - Moving foods with gluten in front of foods without gluten. For example, the gluten sauces at the carving station are behind the ones without. You have to bring the ladle of gluten sauce over the whole container of gluten-free sauce, which means one spill & the gluten-free BBQ sauce is contaminated. Switch their positions! - Group carving station meats that contain gluten together & ones without together so you don't cross-contaminate the meat with the same carving knife & board. - Stop including bread as a garnish on otherwise gluten-free dishes when there is already a bread section. - Put breads at the end of the line rather than interspersed with the antipasto to lessen the chance people will pick up dolma & pita with the same tongs. - Don't list rice noodles in the Asian soup station as gluten-free when they're cooked in the same water as wheat noodles, & zero broth options are gluten-free.

CONCLUSION I've already brought this information to the attention of both chefs who gave me a tour on two separate occasions, & a manager yesterday.

It is unacceptable that a billion-dollar company with an $80 per person price point is this inconsistent with labelling.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff will clean kitchen space or change gloves if asked

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

Other Characteristics

• Good for breakfast/brunch
• Good for dinner
• Good for keto
• Good for kids
• Good for lunch
• Reservations recommended